It's all in the attitude for Demetrius Malone.
The West Lowndes High School senior didn't like the prospect of having to settle for his team's first loss of the season, especially in a game he thought it should have won.
Instead of accepting defeat, Malone went to West Lowndes coach Herman Peters and told his coach he was going to do something about it.

STARKVILLE -- Jameika Hoskins admits she doesn't talk much.
While other players slap teammates on the back and create a lot of noise on the court, Hoskins takes a stealthier approach.
The Aberdeen High School senior guard/forward always has preferred to let her playing do the talking.
This season, Hoskins continued to become more of a vocal presence and a leader on the court. Those qualities helped her lead the team in scoring (21.7 points per game) and to a 24-3 record.

STARKVILLE -- Edward Townsel's recruitment came to a close Thursday when the Starkville High School point guard signed with Arkansas State.
Townsel led Starkville to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A and Grand Slam championships this season, averaging 18.8 points, 7.9 assists and 4.5 steals per game.
He had scholarship offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulane, Rutgers, Louisiana Tech, Troy and Tennessee-Chattanooga.

STARKVILLE -- The rain held off long enough for Starkville Academy to have its intra-squad scrimmage Thursday, capping the team's first spring practice period under head coach Jeff Terrill.
For roughly four hours, thunderstorms blanketed the area and threatened to postpone the scrimmage. Even Terrill said it was "doubtful" the Volunteers would scrimmage two hours before the 6 p.m. start.
Quarterback Kyle Henson said he sent Terrill a text message inquiring about the scrimmage as he and his teammates were anxious to play.

STARKVILLE -- Coaching two soccer programs, owning a business and having five children is quite a challenge.
One end is going to get the short end of attention and Artie Cosby experienced that during his first season leading Starkville Academy's soccer teams.
After one season, Cosby confirmed Thursday he's relinquished his post at Starkville Academy to spend more time with his wife and children.

Fate has smiled on the Hamilton High School baseball team.
Now coach Lewis Earnest hopes the Lions can smile back.
Those were the some of the words Earnest told his players Wednesday after he learned the Mississippi High School Activities Association Executive Committee upheld the ruling of Executive Director Dr. Ennis Proctor to withdraw the Bruce High baseball team from championship play due to a violation of the 17 inning per calendar week MHSAA pitching rule.

Any drama Wednesday morning ended the moment Danté Oliver entered the Columbus High School library.
The Falcons' track and field standout was supposed to have entertained last-minute recruiting inquiries Tuesday night from Mississippi State.

Patience is crucial in the recruiting game.
Sometimes it takes student-athletes weeks, if not months, to decide which school is the best fit academically and athletically.
Other times, players have to wait until coaches sort out their classes and find out the plans of other recruits so they can take their next step.
Josh Tentoni, Tyji Hawkins and Aurby Burdine played the waiting game and came out winners, finalizing their college plans Tuesday night at the Columbus High School Baseball Banquet.

The Hamilton and Bruce high school baseball teams were still waiting this morning for a decision from the Mississippi High School Activities Association to determine which team will get a chance to play for a state title.
The MHSAA's executive committee was expected to hear an appeal by Bruce this morning in regard to an apparent rules violation associated with the number of innings a pitcher is allowed to throw in one week.
The issue involves Bruce's Caleb Hanley pitching more than the mandated 17 innings in a week per the 2009-10 MHSAA handbook.

STARKVILLE -- Anyone interested in what the Starkville Academy football team will look like in the fall will have a chance to see on Thursday night.
The Volunteers will hold an intra-squad scrimmage at 6 p.m. to cap spring practices under first-year Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill.
The rebuilding project at Starkville Academy has seen a re-worked offense installed with more plays under center and various option plays. Terrill and his staff are still unsettled defensively, but Terrill isn't worried with new personnel and many players featuring on both sides of the ball.

The Hamilton and Bruce high school baseball teams are still waiting on a decision from the Mississippi High School Activities Association to determine which team will get a chance to play for a state title.
The MHSAA's executive committee will hear an appeal by Bruce High on Wednesday in regard to an apparent rules violation associated with the number of innings a pitcher is allowed to throw in one week.

The heat didn't bother Danté Oliver and Jelisha Hackman.
Forced to return Monday to compete in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A and 6A meets in sweltering conditions, Oliver and Hackman made the most of their opportunities.

CRAWFORD -- Arthur Gillespie wasn't sure if he should wear his three gold medals to school Monday after winning a trio of events and helping East Oktibbeha to a third-place finish at the Class 1A state track meet.
Modest, quiet, and unassuming, Gillespie thought it might be overkill because the entire student body would know what he and the Titans did Friday in Pearl.
He wore them anyway.

STARKVILLE -- Kala Williams had a tough decision to make about where she'd play college basketball.
But when East Mississippi Community College coach Sharon Thompson showed up Monday to Starkville High with a red and black No. 23 jersey, she knew she was home.

HAMILTON -- In 1903, pitcher Joe "Iron Man" McGinty more than lived up to his nickname when he notched complete game victories in both games of a doubleheader three times in the month of August.
Bruce High School senior pitcher Caleb Hanley will probably never get the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues, but his pitching exploits this week certainly qualify him as a prep "Iron Man."
Thanks to the arm of Hanley, Bruce has advanced to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 2A state championship series at Trustmark Park in Pearl.

STARKVILLE -- Looking back on his football career, Chuck Tillery believes his broken ankle was a blessing in disguise.
When Tillery suffered the injury in the week of practice prior to Starkville High School's season-opener against Noxubee County, he didn't know it would cost him half his senior season and the extra repetitions needed to show scouts more of his talent.
Despite rejuvenating the Yellow Jackets offense when he returned, his lone offer came from Arkansas State.

STARKVILLE -- It didn't take long for Starkville Academy to find a boys basketball coach to replace Clay Stringer.
Former Harrison Central High School assistant Chris Lyle was hired as Starkville Academy's coach Friday afternoon.
After meeting with athletics director Glenn Schmidt on Wednesday, Lyle accepted the job Thursday night and will begin his first head coaching position just four years into the profession.
He replaces Stringer, who accepted the principal position at Hillcrest Christian.